Glance around France: Alsace is back on the French map and Strasbourg gears up for Christmas

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In today's round-up of news stories from around France we look at the return of Alsace to the French map (kind of) the fierce winds that battering Corisca (see videos) and how Strasbourg is already getting ready for Christmas.

There were also warnings of coastal flooding and the videos below show exactly why residents on the island are being warned not to travel by car until the storm passes.

The alerts are due to remain in place until Tuesday morning. You can find out more information on the latest weather warnings across France, which include snow warnings in central France, by CLICKING HERE.

Alsace is back

Well in a certain manner it is.

The French PM Edouard Philippe was set to announce on Monday the merger of the two councils in the two French departments that make up the historic region of Alsace: Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin.

Many in Alsace were furious when the previous government under President François Hollande changed the map of French regions which involved theirs being swallowed up into the new mega region of Grand Est.

But local politicians were claiming Alsace is back on Monday with the expected merger of the two departmental authorities.

"It's much more than a fusion, it's the creation of a new council of Alsace, which brings together the competencies of the central state, the region and the departments," said Frédéric Bierry, Chairman of the Bas-Rhin council.

According to him, in Alsace, "nobody has got over the creation of the Grand Est council". "François Hollande decided to redraw the map of the regions of France from his office, the Alsatians have never accepted the disappearance of an Alsatian council," he added.

The mayor of the Alpine village of Jarsy has passed a decree that forces mushroom pickers and other walkers to wear fluorescent jackets while out in the mountains in order to make it easier for hunters to spot them and not mistake them for a wild animal, as is believed to have been the case with the shooting of Marc Sutton.

Although those who don't follow the words of the decree will not be fined.

Since late August, around ten properties have been targeted by the rabbit assassin. "Cages are opened, then the animals are killed in cold blood with a pointed object and then just left there," police, who also advised rabbit owners to lock up their rabbit hutches tightly, told Ouest France newspaper.

So far police have had no luck tracing down the serial killer and have little to go on. From the one sighting of the suspect the police were able to glean that he wore a rain coat and a hat.